This section is intended to provide a background or context to the disclosure recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Hand operated tools can take a variety of forms including hand operated striking tools (e.g., a hammer) to hand operated cutting tools (e.g., a scissors). Within the general category of hand operated cutting tools, one-hand operated and two-hand operated cutting tools exist. Examples of one-hand operated cutting tools include scissors, shears, pruners, utility knives, and snips. An example of a two-hand operated cutting tool includes a lopper.
Utility knives are aptly named due to their wide array of uses from carpentry to everyday uses (e.g., cutting string for a home project or a hobby). A utility knife typically includes a handle, a blade holder coupled to the handle, and a knife or blade retained by the blade holder. Often, the blade is releasably coupled to the blade holder by a “quick-change” push-button or a swing lever, which when actuated enables the release of the blade from the blade holder. While advantageous for quickly replacing the blade in the utility knife, these quick-change mechanisms can sacrifice security due to accidental pressure or inadvertent bumps to the release mechanism loosening the retention of the blade in the blade holder or altogether discharging the blade from the blade holder. Thus, the ability to use the utility knife may be compromised due to these quick-change mechanisms.